Tag Archives: run

AMVIV Early Reg Opens May 11th!

It’s about that time! Early registration for AMVIV is May 11, if you haven’t signed up yet I encourage you to click on this link and sign up!

http://www.amviv.com/sign-up/

Check this out, the “Strip Cruise” this AMVIV will be run in our pajama’s! Of course pajama’s are optional* and you are encouraged to motor the runway in your own fashion!! Maybe you would rather rock a zombie outfit, it’s your run! I am told that our very own Agro might have some ORANGE pj’s/tutu for this very motor, and as always some pre-motor hugs!

http://www.amviv.com/schedule/

Jules was been spotted “buttering up” security at Palace this week! Rumor has it she was posting wanted photo’s of the Evil Twins at “5b” and schmoozing with Security. She’s definitely up to something interesting! Like us on Facebook to follow her mayhem! Click this link if you still need to get your room!

http://www.amviv.com/hotel/

That is just a taste of the sweet goodness we have in store for you at this years event! Soon we will be adding a section to our site that has “alternative activities” for you to explore while on your MINI Vacation in Vegas!

Send me a note if you are traveling in a group and want me to blast it! I love a good story.

*”OPTIONAL” DISCLOSURE Chris Tunison when I say “optional” I mean you can wear regular clothing!
For those of you that don’t know Chris, he was the winner of the “COMMANDO” award for AMVIV8 enough said.

–
Lisa – SCMC Secretary

http://www.sincityminiclub.com

Miniology TV March 2012

In this episode, we run along with the Redwood Empire Mini Enthusiasts as they navigate the high waters of Sonoma and Napa Counties and find a winery.

Also, we take a run down to Mini of Marin for a special media event to mark the opening of this new dealership as well as the tenth anniversary of Mini in America.

Also, we’ll take a high energy look at the new Mini Coupe and Roadster.

Watch here, or subscribe through the iTunes Store!

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MOASF resumes club meetings

MOASF (the Mini Owners of America, San Francisco chapter) will gather at Redcoats Pub on Monday, November 21 at 7 PM. They will discuss their annual Toys for Tots charity run (December 10th), and next year’s Hayward Field Meet. You don’t need to own a classic Mini to attend, though if you drive one to the meetings people will surely be impressed ;) The meeting, which may include eating and drinking of the usual pub fare, takes place here:

REDCOATS PUB
336 St. Marys St.
Pleasanton, CA

DIRECTIONS:
From 680 (North or South) take the BERNAL AVE off ramp.
Continue East on BERNAL about a mile, pass under the overpass and get in the left lane.
Turn left on MAIN ST.
Go five blocks to ST. MARY’S ST. There is a stop sign and a cute little old fashioned gas station on the corner.
Turn left and it’s on your left, half way down the first block.  336 ST. MARY’S STREET.
There is a big parking lot in the back. To get to the parking lot, go to the corner, turn left, go half way down the block and turn into the parking lot.

SEE YOU THERE !

[Source: Nick Becker, MOASF]

MINI WRC takes 5th @ Wales Rally GB (FIA World Rally Championship) Day Three.

The sun came out in Wales, but it still threw challenges at the Wales Rally GB crews. Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) finished day three in their MINI John Cooper Works WRC fifth despite having to battle with a broken engine mount for the first three stages. Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) re-joined the competitors in the SupeRally and had a trouble free run.

Meeke started the day eighth and his aim was to move up rapidly to sixth and then battle for fifth. His goal was helped by the retirements of Petter Solberg (NO) and Kimi Räikkönen (FI), but not by the broken engine mount. Despite suffering from this he still set some decent stage times on the three stages into mid-day service in Builth Wells. His car was soon as good as new and ready to challenge for fourth in the afternoon. Meanwhile Sordo was feeling much more confident in the car on the low grip conditions, and on Sweet Lamb was fourth quickest first time through and third on the second run.

Dave Wilcock, Technical Director described the day thus, “We had a small issue with Kris on the first loop this morning. There was an engine mounting that had come slightly loose and it had pulled one of the exhaust slip joints off, so we had hot exhaust gas leaking into the engine bay, which melted a couple of items but nothing that cost too much performance. Because of this he took it cautiously for the first loop. We repaired that at lunch time, this afternoon things were back to normal, and we saw some good stage times from Kris. He struggled a little bit in that last stage, which was nearly 28 kilometres in Myherin, and we need to have a look at the data as he thought it felt okay. As for Dani, on the SupeRally today there were stages he knows from previous years. He was looking forward to today and his times have been improving all day long. He is now much more confident in these low grip conditions, and we could clearly see that in his stage times.

For Kris he has 45 seconds to make up to get fourth and we are now looking for a little over half a second a kilometre to leap frog Henning Solberg. It is a tall order, but there are 84 kilometres to go so we shall see how we get on on the first stage. If he is on target at that point then he will continue to push. If not then we shall just consolidate fifth position.”

Dani Sordo (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 37) shared, “Today was quite good. I like the stages a lot, but at the same time they were very slippery. I particularly liked the Sweet Lamb stage, and this showed in my time. Tomorrow will be quite tricky as we have some parts on tarmac and some new stages. It was good that it did not rain today, but here in Wales even when it is dry the roads are muddy as it has been raining for a long time.”

Our BMW folks covering the events forgot to mention which position Dani Sordo took at the end of the day, so I guess we’ll find out more tomorrow!

Kris Meeke (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 52) chimed in, “We sorted the engine problem from the morning at lunch time, which was good as every time I changed gear the engine was moving. We just had to drive through and try to get it back here. The second pass today was tricky and very slippery like the surface had been polished. The car is working well on the smooth stuff, but on the ruts we lose a bit of time. We shall see tomorrow what happens, as it will be interesting to see if we can catch Henning. I have done tomorrow’s stages in the other direction, so maybe I should try reversing through them!”

Whether they run dry, wet, muddy, or somewhere in between, we are pleased to see team MINI WRC on the rally circuit, and look forward to tomorrow’s competition as well the full season next year.

Here’s a few more dirty pictures for you to enjoy .. dirty MINIs that is!

[Source: BMW Group PressClub Sport, Wales, Nov 12 2011]

MINI WRC saunters in at fifth and sixth place @ Wales Rally GB. 10th-13th November. 13th of 13 rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship. Day One.

Nearly live from Wales, 10th November 2011:
Day One of Wales Rally GB may only have been made up of three stages and 25.25 kilometres of competition, but it proved tough for some drivers. However, the MINI WRC Team drivers, Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) and Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES), took it steadily and at the overnight halt in Llandudno, in the north of Wales, were fifth and sixth respectively.

Right from the word go on the first two stages over Llandudno’s Great Orme tarmac roads Sordo and Meeke were extremely cautious. Even though the weather was bright and sunny, the stage was slippery and caught out Sébastien Ogier (FR) who ripped off a wheel 1.6 kilometres into the stage. On this first stage Sordo was the quicker of the two MINIs by 0.8secs, and then on stage two it was Meeke by 0.9secs. Therefore as they left the tarmac and headed to the first forest stage in Clocaenog Meeke was fifth and Sordo sixth overall with 0.1secs separating them. Then on stage three, run over 15.77 kilometres of gravel, it was Meeke who was quickest, and at the end of the day was 8.6secs ahead of his team-mate.

The two MINI John Cooper Works WRCs were displaying the logos of ‘Paint it Orange’, a campaign being run by the Richard Burns Foundation with all the proceeds benefiting the charity’s work in brain injury and illness. This event marks the tenth anniversary of Richard Burns’ World title.

Dave Wilcock, Technical Director:

“The first part of the rally is over almost before it has begun. I don’t know what was going on at the front on the Great Orme, but there was all sorts of activity and Sébastien Ogier took himself out almost immediately. Our drivers kept it clean and tidy, and put themselves in good positions after those first two stages. Unfortunately, due to the timing of the event, we ran into the darkness, and our road positions really didn’t help us at all. This was not helped by the fact the visibility was getting worse all the time, and the road surface was also getting a lot more slippery with every car. We were a little bit handicapped. Dani was struggling with the foggy patches and general visibility more than Kris. Kris had a blinding run through Clocaenog for his road position, so we were extremely pleased with that. Let’s see how we get on tomorrow when the rally really starts.”

Dani Sordo (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 37):

“The last stage was quite tricky, but really beautiful. The problem was the visibility was bad with a lot of fog in the middle of the stage. Also it was not completely dark so we could not see very well. We were driving with the lights on as it was getting dark, but it was probably better without them on. After the tarmac stage the Michelin tyres were okay, despite doing two passes of the stage. I am happy with the car as it is getting better and better after each rally we do.”

Kris Meeke (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 52):

“I am not so bad. The tarmac stages were quite tricky, and when it got a little bit humid then it was quite slippery. We were sitting on the start line and got the information about Sébastien Ogier, so we had to be calm. We had a very good run in the forest stage, but I am not happy that some people were running in the daylight and some in the darkness. I feel the organisers have to think seriously about this. To be fifth is possibly where we expected to be, so I am happy.”

ADAC Rally Germany. 18th – 21st August. 9th of 13 rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship. Day 2.


[Source: BMW AG, Trier, 20th August, 2011.]

The MINI WRC Team has every reason to feel satisfied after day two of Rally Germany, as Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) are now third overall in their MINI John Cooper Works WRC number 37. While Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) in number 52 are still in fifth, they have had a far from easy day with a puncture on stage 13 and a broken rim on stage 14 causing them to lose over a minute on the leading cars.

Number 13 proved unlucky for not only Meeke, but also the man chasing him for fourth, Petter Solberg (NO). While Meeke came off the 15.23 kilometre stage 23.3 seconds behind the leader, Sébastien Loeb (FR), the Norwegian was even further behind with a loss of 31 seconds, also due to a puncture. The 34.18 kilometre final stage of the day on the Baumholder tank training ground also caused high drama for Loeb, as he became one of numerous drivers to suffer a puncture during the day and dropped to second behind his Citroen team-mate, Sébastien Ogier (FR).

Day two was held in extremely hot and sunny conditions, but there is a question mark over the weather for the final day as heavy thunder showers are forecast for late morning. The remaining crews have another five stages and 76.31 kilometres of competition before the Power Stage at Circus Maximus back in Trier early in the afternoon.

Dave Wilcock, Technical Director:

“That has been a pretty good day as we started fourth and fifth and finished third and fifth. Dani has had a clean run through and set really quick times with Mikko Hirvonen. Then on the last stage he put in a blistering pace and finished within a couple of seconds of Sébastien Ogier and was second quickest. We were clearly faster than the Fords on that stage, and that was the one I really wanted to see where we really were with the others working perfectly. This is only our third rally and we know we can improve and from where we are now that is a really good benchmark. Kris had a fantastic day starting in fifth. Petter Solberg jumped him on the first stage this morning, but then had his problems, as did Kris including a little scare on the last stage of the day where he had a slow run through after sustaining a little bit of damage to a wheel. He is still just in front of Solberg. Tomorrow Kris has to keep his nose clean, and Dani has to consolidate third if he can as Hirvonen will come out charging. The target is to stay on the podium, as we like it there and don’t want to get off it.”

Dani Sordo:

“Honestly we didn’t expect to be here in third on our first tarmac rally for the car. I am really happy with the car. We did some changes to the set-up and today the MINI was quite good and helped me do the good times. We will continue to do the same tomorrow and try to finish on the podium. We don’t have enough of a margin to feel safe, as you can have a puncture, you can spin or the the weather may be bad. I am not going to start thinking about the podium, but just to try to drive well as we still have another day. The most important thing is we are still close to the opposition, and if we do modifications to the car for the future we are planning we can then be really close.”

Kris Meeke:

“We have had a few wee problems, and we picked up another puncture on stage 13. Everyone seems to be hitting trouble. Dani and Sébastien Ogier are the only two in the top eight or nine who have not picked up a puncture, so it is proving to be a challenge. We were just a little bit unlucky in that sense. Then on the second run through Panzerplatte the car was a little bit nervous underbraking, it cut away from me and stopped very gently against a small stone, it broke the rim and we had a massive vibration for the rest of the stage. When we have had a clean run we have really been on the money, and have been able to be right up there with the times. We have not been consistent enough, but that will come as this is only my second ever start on a WRC event on tarmac. ”

Miniology TV: MINI E Report – Electric car in the UK

Heya, Miniologists!

Here is our video report regarding the close of MINI’s electric car trial in the United Kingdom (similar trials were run in the US and other countries).

It was great to be a part of this and the MINI community on social media sites (facebook, twitter, minispace) were very supportive of the project.

This video doesn’t go into all the technical details of the project, but does have some nice interviews from the people who were actually driving the electric cars during the trial run.

With all the automotive brands doing hybrids that don’t get more than a few MPG more than their gas counterparts, it was very cool to see MINI doing a full-on electric car which looked and performed much like the petrol edition.

Check the earlier post for the full official BMW press release.

Copyright notice: UK b-roll footage and background music used in this video supplied to us from BMW AG and used by permission, under the condition this can not be used for commercial purposes. All other content (like our logo, etc.) is Copyright © 2011 by Miniology.com/The Electric Crayon.